Countdown Of Criminal Minds' Most Shocking Episodes To Get Ready For Evolution S2

The first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 are ready to land on Paramount+ on June 6, with eight more installments to follow each Thursday. To get ready for fresh, twisted mysteries (Gold Star leads the way, of course) and a deep dive into the psyche of serial killers, we suggest revisiting (or at least remembering) some of the most mind-bending episodes of the original series.

Producing over twenty episodes a year has always been a challenge for the show's cast and crew. The 'monster of the week' format demanded that the BAU dive into a new case each episode, complete with all the elements of a gripping crime tale: a riveting opening, a chilling unsub, a heart-pounding climax, and a jaw-dropping reveal.

But, oh boy, did the Criminal Minds writers rise to the occasion! Some of their twists were so stunning, they were burned into our brains forever. Here are five prime examples.

S4E11 Normal

This episode not only taught us to be polite to strangers but also delivered a twist that will linger in our minds for years. Mitch Pileggi’s unsub, an accountant tormented by guilt, spirals into madness following his daughter's tragic death in a car accident. Fueled by his anguish, he goes on a chilling highway killing spree, targeting blonde women who resemble his wife.

Throughout the episode, the unsub has heated arguments with his wife and two surviving daughters, escalating to kidnapping them. But when the BAU finally apprehends him, a startling truth is revealed: he had actually murdered his family within the first five minutes of the episode, and everything that followed existed solely within the depths of his fractured mind.

S2E10 Lessons Learned

This episode stands out for many viewers as the one that first truly distinguished Criminal Minds from other cop shows and made them fall in love with Mandy Patinkin's Jason Gideon. The BAU agents are faced with the daunting task of finding out where terrorists are planning their next chemical weapons attack.

The tense interrogation of a captured terrorist spans two days, during which the suspect is allowed to pray regularly. Despite all efforts, the terrorist remains resolute until the news of the impending attack is broadcast. Only then does he divulge vital information. However, it's revealed that Gideon manipulated the prayer schedule and organized the fake news broadcast. In reality, the attack has not yet occurred, allowing the team to prevent it.

S4E12 Conflicted

Mystery writers' favorite trope is dissociative identity disorder, and of course Criminal Minds hasn't missed a chance to feature it. In this chilling case, the BAU heads to Texas to investigate a series of murders in which men are lured into hotel rooms and brutally killed. At first, the team suspects a male-female duo.

However, the investigation takes a shocking turn when the agents discover that the killer is actually a young man named Adam (Jackson Rathbone), who, after a severe childhood trauma, has adopted an alternate persona with sinister tendencies named Amanda. It is Amanda who is responsible for the murders and assaults.

S3E8 Lucky

This episode stands out as perhaps the most disturbing of the entire series. Jamie Kennedy's Floyd Feylinn Ferell, aka Lucky, is a psychotic killer convinced he is possessed by a flesh-eating demon. His cannibalistic inclinations manifest early on when he bites his baby sister.

Ferell's depravity escalates as he kidnaps numerous victims, one of whom remains missing. In a horrifying twist, it's revealed that the unsub cooked a stew using her flesh and served it to the volunteers assisting in the search for her, shocking both the BAU and the victim's devastated family.

S5E16 Mosley Lane

The phrase 'He was alive yesterday' is a big trigger for all Criminal Minds fans. The unsubs of Mosley Lane (directed by Matthew Gray Gubler, by the way), Anita and Roger Roycewood, brazenly kidnap children from public places and subject them to years of cruelty. Some are tragically killed, while others are coerced into becoming their unwilling accomplices.

In a heartbreaking climax, Stephen, a boy who has been missing for seven agonizing years, sacrifices himself to protect a new victim. The next day, the BAU storm the Roycewood house and rescue the survivors. Stephen's parents are left to deal with the devastating realization that their son was alive mere hours before.